If you have a lower IQ blame it on your genes, as Psychiatric researchers at The Zucker Hillside Hospital campus of The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have uncovered evidence of a gene that appears to influence intelligence.
Working with researchers at Harvard Partners Center for Genetics and Genomics in Boston, the Zucker team examined the genetic blueprints of individuals with schizophrenia.
They discovered the dysbindin-1 gene, which they previously demonstrated to be associated with schizophrenia, may also be linked to general cognitive ability. The study has been published in the Human Molecular Genetics.
"Evidence suggests that cognitive abilities, particularly intelligence, are significantly influenced by genetic factors," said Katherine Burdick, the study's primary author.
"While our data suggests the dysbindin gene influences variation in human cognitive ability and intelligence, it only explained a small proportion of it – about 3 per cent.
This supports a model involving multiple genetic and environmental influences on intelligence,” said Anil Malhotra, the principal investigator of the study.
